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Coming Soon: A Lexus-Based Toyota Supra?

Ask any car lover what vehicle from the past they’d want to bring back, and the vast majority of them will say the Toyota Supra.

The Supra was in production for an astounding 24 years. The U.S. version ended in 1998 due to slowing sales and restrictive emissions standard, but the car soldiered on in other markets until 2002. Its demise cemented the Supra as a legendary sports car.

The 1998 U.S. version had a 3.0-liter V6 and up to 320-hp with the twin-turbo setup.

Rumors of the car’s return have been floating around for a good decade, and, finally, it looks like the Supra is on its way back.

The new Supra, though, won’t likely be a result of the BMW/Toyota partnership that is expected to bring us a new BMW Z4. Here’s why, according to BoldRide,

The Supra badge can only be worn on a car developed by Toyota, and Toyota alone. When the FR-S first debuted, Toyota shared with us a little secret: because it was jointly developed with Subaru, it could never bear the name of the beloved Supra. It just wasn’t a pure Toyota product, like the original Supra.

So if the BMW partnership won’t result in a Supra, what will?

Let’s look toward Lexus.

The new Lexus LC 500, coming in 2017, is a car completely developed by Toyota. Car and Driver says,

Lexus says the LC is the most structurally rigid car it has ever produced; expect great handling as a result. Under the hood beats a 467-hp 5.0-liter V-8, driving the rear wheels; Lexus claims a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds.

Sounds like a Toyota-badged version would make a great Supra, doesn’t it? There aren’t any official announcements yet, but we do have the Toyota FT-1 concept to drool over. With that concept, the existence of the LC 500, and Toyota’s drive to once again create exciting vehicles, we can be pretty sure that the pieces for a new Supra are falling into place.

The one drawback, though, will likely be price. The LC 500 should start at close to $100,000 and, unfortunately, a Supra version probably wouldn’t be priced too much lower.

How much would you pay for a new Toyota Supra based off the Lexus LC 500?